


Walking into Wizard Wonderland

by lilolilyrae



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Child Abuse, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Dumbledore Being a Dick, Gen, One Shot, Past Child Abuse, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, Sevitus, Translation, evil dursleys, translation from turkish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:43:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21521290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilolilyrae/pseuds/lilolilyrae
Summary: A Christmas story: Severus Snape is unaware of what is about to change when he steps onto Number 4, Privet Drive.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 120





	Walking into Wizard Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Restricted Work] by [glenien](https://archiveofourown.org/users/glenien/pseuds/glenien). Log in to view. 



> This is a translation from Turkish. I do not speak Turkish myself but ran the original fic through google translate and then corrected any grammar/spelling/logic and general writing errors Google made.

Little Whinging, with its orderly gardens and straight streets, was usually an ordinary neighborhood, and this calmness would only vanish at certain times of the year and even then only in a highly controlled manner.

Christmas was one of those times.

While the decorations, lights, candies and toys alone would be enough to drive any child insane, this year there was another unexpected surprise: it snowed in December!

At that point, things were getting a little crazy in Surrey. Even Privet Drive- the only place to boast of mediocrity and serenity- was vibrant in its Christmas spirit.

There were only few people who didn't join the crazy spirit when the others went sledding, laughing and crying outdoors.

One of the people who didn't join in on the fun was a small, shadow-like figure, lost in a huge coat and hat. The passers-bys in front of Number Four- unlike his peers- looked at him with a bitter kind of pity. Working in the garden with a big and heavy shovel, he had cleared half of the path of snow so far.

As people were shouting through the pine trees, the boy didn't even turn around. He was working in deep concentration, pushing his shabby black hair out from under his big hat, and then he continued to clear the snow with his frozen, red nose and his puffing breath.

This child was Harry Potter, the Dursleys' little nephew.

If there was anyone else who didn't get carried away by the Christmas spirit, it was Petunia Dursley. She had just wrapped her thick scarf tighter around herself and gotten out of the parked car. She was bony, tight-lipped, and accompanied by a blonde, chubby kid who had his nose in the air- her son, Dudley Dursley, Harry's cousin. He might have been dressed as Christmas candy, or he could be a Santa Claus, but by Merlin, the child was far from a saint. Like a little pig, Dudley hopped out of the car, screaming and running through the garden, first toppling over Harry and then ruining everything his cousin had cleaned up.

With a sigh, the little black-haired boy on the floor rose to his feet- coming face to face with his aunt, her arms full of packages. Petunia Dursley gave him a sour look, but when Harry picked up the shovel from the ground again, she walked inside without saying anything to him.

As the sky went dark, the shouts of the children were getting less and less frequent, lights in the houses were turned on, children were bathing, the fathers came home, the tables were set up, everyone was slowly settling in. The lights in Number 4 were already lit, but Harry Potter still didn't enter the house, his breath still turning the air around him white with steam.

What he didn't know was: he wasn't alone.

A mean and foreign looking, pale-faced strange man with dark hair had been watching him since nightfall, perhaps even longer, and he had nothing to do with Christmas at all. 

With a frown on his face almost equal to the anger he was feeling, he asked himself why, _why_ , that little pestilent Harry Potter had not yet entered.

In the cold garden of Privet Drive, small arms continued to shovel with gradually slower movements, while the night fell and the flaky snowfall started again.

Hulled in darkness and cold as even the large coat didn't help anymore, the boy's hands loosened on the shovel, his green eyes closed behind his broken and badly taped round glasses, his cold face facing the shovel from under the hat.

He was just going to sleep a little, he felt very tired...

At that moment, a hand larger than his own grabbed his shovel and then held him upright by his back. Harry opened his eyes wide, gasping quickly, holding his breath in fear- "Uncle Vernon, I'm sorry, I'm finishing now!" then, to his surprise, saw a stranger's face above him.

The stranger was dressed in a black winter coat- no, he was wearing a _cloak_ , a black, long, strange thing, and he had a hooked nose and a stern gaze- and he was looking at him with an angry expression as if he had caught him sleeping on duty.

"Enough, Potter! What are you still doing out here?"

The stranger also knew his name! Harry's eyes widened with fear, his heart beating quicker, but the hands clutching him didn't seem to want to hurt him, on the contrary, they held him firmly but gently on his feet.

Harry stuttered. "I-I can't go in, I'm not done."

The man in the cloak sounded as hard as his roofed eyebrows, so Harry jumped in his coat. "Don't be stupid, Potter! A boy as small as you shouldn't be out at this hour! It's freezing here! Merlin, child, don't you have a brain in your head?!"

Harry tried to answer, but his tired body, his hungry stomach and his stunned brain weren't cooperating with him, and he only managed to blink slowly at first, the eyelashes stuck together from the snow. Finally, he said: "I'm not stupid, sir- did you say Merlin? ...well, I have to finish the garden, sir, or Uncle Vernon won't let me in."

"Are you serious?" the stranger asked, shocked. "Are you- grounded, Potter?"

"I think so." Harry nodded, thoughtfully, making his hat fall even further over his eyes and glasses... He pushed his glasses back up, straightened and stretched out his hand to take his shovel, a little more awake now. "Anyway, it doesn't matter, I have to finish, I _really_ have to eat."

The knuckles of the hand holding the shovel were getting white as the black-haired man in the cloak said, "Excuse me?" 

Harry pulled at the shovel with both hands, but the man wouldn't let go. He looked up at this stranger who had showed up here at night and didn't really look like he belonged in Surrey at all- he had a strange look, and Harry was sure he'd never seen such a cloak.

Steadily, he repeated: "I have to eat, sir. Could you put the shovel down, please?"

"Can't you eat before you finish your sentence, Potter?" the black-haired man asked, his voice far from being curious, but it just made Harry even more angry, and he pulled at the shovel once more, frowning at him. "I'm hungry enough already, I don't want to get into any more trouble! Let go!"

The man did let go of the shovel now, so with a gasp, Harry ended up on the floor, sitting on his butt and rubbing his arm angrily. But before he could say anything, the stranger in the cloak helped him up, leaning down until they were face to face, Harry staring right into the black, dark eyes across him. While he still tried to figure out what he had done wrong, the man repeated in a slow, frosty tone. "Are you hungry? When did you last eat?"

Harry rolled his eyes, of course he was hungry, didn't he know? It was stupid, really. "I don't know."

"Don't lie to me, Potter."

"I didn't lie! I really don't know, I must have eaten yesterday or the day before that, but I don't remember exactly. It's Christmas, so Dudley almost never got me out of my cupboard this week, why do you ask and who are you anyway?" Harry answered in one breath. "Please go away, Sir, if I finish on time, I can eat and you don't help." he added angrily, this time tugging on his arm.

The stranger said nothing, but left Harry alone. Harry took his shovel off the ground, with a bit of contentment. It was weird, working while someone watched his every move, but Harry was serious about what he had said. He was grateful for the silence that grew between him and the stranger and started shoveling again.

"It's dark." the man pointed out from behind after mere seconds.

"I'm not afraid of the dark, Sir." Harry replied without turning around.

That was the moment when something strange happened.

"You're going to be a mess in Hogwarts, aren't you?" the man growled to himself, and as Harry turned and looked at him, he pulled out a long, thin stick from his cloak.

"What?" Harry blinked, bewildered. "Hog-"

"Yes," he interrupted in a sharp voice, "That is where I am going to take you. My name is Severus Snape, I am the Potions Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I am your future teacher."

"Wizardry...?" Harry stammered, "Well, look, I'm pretty sure Santa isn't real, and you can't tell me children's stories just to do what you say."

Severus Snape snorted. "Oh I'm sure you will believe it when you meet Mr. Nicholas and his wife." he said, and shaking his stick, he drew out a silver cloud, the cloud taking the form of a doe, disappearing quickly.

"You- you did magic!", Harry stuttered, his mouth staying open. Magic! The stranger in the cloak had cast a magic spell!

"Look, Potter, we don't have much time, and frankly the weather is so bad, it's pretty cold even for someone like me. So, let's cut this short."

'Professor' Snape, took the thin stick out of his pocket again- a wand!, Harry now understood- shook it, and a small piece of paper flew to the Dursley's door, while a large, silver bird appeared before Snape, whispering something in the ear of the black-haired man, before it disappeared.

Behind him, Snape leaned down to the little boy, his voice softened slightly as he saw him trembling with fear. "Yes, that was a spell, and you'll see a lot more than that. I'm not going to take you somewhere you don't want to go. I'll even bring you back whenever you want. Now, you'll go to a warm place where you can eat. Alright? To a school."

"To Hogwarts?" Harry whispered again. For some reason, that name felt familiar to him.

"Yes," Prof Professor Snape agreed, then hesitated: "...your parents had studied there."

At that, Harry stopped shaking, staring up at the Professor. Snape nodded and held out his hand.

Without hesitation, the boy grabbed his hand.

A moment later, no one was left in the garden of Privet Drive, Number Four, except for the shovel that fell to the ground.

* * *

Harry squeezed his eyes tightly as it felt like he was squished through a narrow bottleneck, and gripped the man in the black robe that held his hand.

A moment later, when he opened his eyes,the the houses of Privet Drive had vanished and instead there was a castle towering above them in the midst of a huge, snowy terrain.

Professor Snape pushed him forward. The two of them crossed high iron gates, approaching Hogwarts. As they got closer, Harry stared around with admiration, not knowing what to say.

When they arrived, the castle's big gate opened, and instead of a princess like Harry might have expected, a wizard came out: an old man with long, white hair and an equally long and white beard, and he was dressed in a purple cloak with a golden moon on it.

Harry, still clinging to Professor Snape's hand, whispered: "Is that Santa Claus?"

Severus Snape snorted, "No, he's just a great wizard... he let you come here."

The old wizard greeted them cheerfully, "Hello Severus, and oh, my old eyes aren't cheating on me, are they? Harry!" The old man leaned down, his eyes blue and deep, and shook hands with Harry. "How much you have grown! I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. I hope you will enjoy your stay here."

Harry suddenly felt filled with excitement and he smiled back: "I'm sure I will, sir... excuse me, do you already know me?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "Everybody knows you, Harry. But yes, we have met before, as I knew your mother and father very well... and let me tell you, you look just like your father, don't you think so, Severus? You do, however, have your mother's eyes."

"Were my parents wizards?" Harry asked in amazement, then shrunk back at Professor Snape's harsh voice: "Albus, the boy's questions won't stop any soon, why don't we go in first?"

"You're absolutely right, Severus, come on in, we were just getting ready for dinner- oh, Hagrid will be very happy."

* * *

When headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Professor Snape started to walk, Harry followed them, trying to keep up with the Professor's steps, he certainly didn't want to let go of his hand, what if he got lost here? But Professor Snape safely guided him through the castle into a lively, large, warm hall filled with Christmas decorations.

Harry looked around in admiration from the candle-lit, star-covered ceiling to, when he lowered his gaze, a large table in front of four other even bigger wooden tables: there were many people, all different but they were all _strange_ , like a giant, a bearded man, a tiny one, and more-

" _Everyone knows_ _you, Harry_ " Harry hadn't understood what the headmaster had meant by that until now: the gaze of all the people on the table was fixed onto him.

"Alb- Albus!" a trembling voice came from the table, a woman with gray hair pulled up into a strict bun was standing up, her hand pressed to her chest. "Albus, is that him?"

"Indeed, Minerva .." Dumbledore laughed cheerfully, gently squeezing Harry's shoulder to comfort the boy hiding behind him, "We have decided that young Harry Potter join us this Christmas."

A mass of talking and shouting rose from the table, and then the giant, bearded man almost topped over the table, tears pouring from his small, black eyes as he hugged Harry, almost smothering him. "HARRY! Oh little Harry! You're a big lad!"

Harry cried in surprise as this giant man was hugging him and shedding tears on his shoulder. HIis eyes found Dumbledore and the old wizard winked at him, then cleared his throat loudly, "This is Hagrid, Harry, he's known you since you were little. I'm sorry, he's a little emotional...

"Oh, pleased to meet you, Hagrid." Harry laughed a little at the man who was still blowing his nose. The middle-aged woman with the strict bun came over to shake his hand. "I am Professor Minerva Mcgonagall, Harry. Your parents, James and Lily, were my students."

Harry looked at him excitedly, "You knew my parents too?"

Professor Mcgonagall smiled at him: "There is no one here who didn't know them, Harry."

Hagrid was still crying.

Harry loved them all, they all seemed to love him, everyone came and introduced himself one by one, and they told him how Harry looked like his mother and father, a few of them even showed him their pictures, and told him his father had won a trophy.

Finally, when Harry could sit at the table, his eyes widened as he saw the masses of great food! He'd never seen so much food at the Dursleys, he ate all he could eat, and he drank something very nice, 'pumpkin juice', and then it was time for desert. He felt Dumbledore's gaze on him, and when he looked up, the old man winked at him again.

Harry had never had such a happy day in his life, everything was so beautiful that Harry didn't want to close his tired eyes, afraid it would be gone by the time he opened them again.

When a pair of strong yet gentle arms lifted him from the table where he fell asleep, Harry was still waiting for Aunt Petunia to wake him up, feeling like a dream.

* * *

"Yes, you made the right decision by having young Harry join us during the holiday, Severus, but you have to understand, Minerva, of course he will have to go back."

"Albus, the child will freeze from the cold! His horrible Mmuggle relatives are making him work like a house elf! How can you want to send him back there?"

"Oh, the poor boy." Minerva shook her head.

"I know, but unfortunately there is nothing we can do. I will write another letter to Petunia and remind her of my words."

"The child didn't even know that his mother and father were magical! He thought they died in a car accident!"

"WHAT?! Fucking Muggles! I will show them! .. James and Lily! A _car crash_!"

"Calm down, Hagrid... that was the purpose of putting him with his relatives years ago, if you remember."

"He is Harry Potter, for Merlin's sake, Albus! .. Imagine what he is going through, and he is not an ordinary boy! Can't we just give him a favor?"

"He deserves everything!" The giant slapped his fist onto the table.

"I understand your feelings, of course he is not an ordinary person... but sometimes we have to make some concessions to survive ... and yes, although it shatters my heart, I have to put Harry's life before his happiness."

"I thought you were more compassionate than this, Dumbledore." said a cold voice.

"Would you want him to grow up knowing he was Harry Potter, Severus?"

"What does it matter what I want? What are you going to do with the boy, Albus, I suppose he won't stay here on my couch forever."

"Actually, if he is not to return to the Dursleys for now, I do not see how that would be such a bad idea. Although I must remind you all that he cannot stay here forever."

"What?!"

"You can not possibly mean...?"

"Harry seems quite attached to Severus, given that he was the one who saved him from the house, of course. If we all agree that young Potter will share a bit of magic here with us during the Christmas holiday, he will need a place to stay, for a while."

"I can't take care of a child, Albus!"

"Hagrid will also be here, Dumbledore, happy to take care of Harry."

"Sure! Fang and I can look after little Harry"

"I'm afraid Rubeus will have to accompany me on an important assignment, and if I remember correctly, you and Poppy will spend your holiday with your families, don't you, dear Minerva? Just like the other professors... this leaves Severus as our only option." 

"One of you can take him with you, why does the child have to stay at Hogwarts?! This is impossible!"

"Then I must regretfully tell you that we have to bring him back, Severus, unfortunately there is no possibility that Harry will stay anywhere else, except for the safe walls of Hogwarts or his aunt's house, protected by a very old spell."

"All right! Okay! He can stay. Damn..."

"Wonderful! When he wakes up, I shall talk to him. Since this matter is done, I wish everyone good night. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Professor."

"Merry Christmas..."

"Come on, come on, Severus- Christmas night is not a time for such a sullen face. I'm sure you will get along well with Harry. And after three days-"

"Three days, Albus, and after that? You can be sure I can handle the child better than his own relatives."

"I have no doubt, my dear. No doubt at all."

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, let us know :)
> 
> I tried to fix the sentence structure to something that would look better in English while also keeping the original author's writing style, hope it worked!


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